Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) describes forms of violence and abuse that disproportionally affect women and girls and are usually perpetrated by men, so it is important to name this as male violence.
However, people of any gender can experience abuse of this nature and the consequences affect everyone.
Male violence has a devastating impact on victims and survivors, children and communities.The cost to society is long-lasting and wide-ranging.
VAWG robs individuals of their safety in public and private spaces, their choice and wellbeing, and can cause significant trauma. VAWG can affect anyone, everyone, and can occur at any point in life, but it is not inevitable.
VAWG refers to multiple types of violence and abuse, including:
- domestic abuse
- female genital mutilation (FGM) or cutting
- forced marriage
- sexual exploitation
- sexual violence
- so-called ‘honour’-based violence
- stalking and harassment
This is not a complete list and our approach acknowledges that there is significant crossover in the types of abuse – for example, forced marriage and so-called ‘honour’-based violence are forms of domestic abuse and most perpetrators of stalking or rape are current or former partners.